For those who've used Linux for more than 10 years, which distro have you used the longest and why?

Looking at various Linux forums, it seems to me that desktop aesthetics, compatibility with hardware and software, and stability are key to such decisions. Yet desktop environment and aesthetics aren't necessarily deal makers for me. I prefer functionality, speed, stability, and compatibility over glitz. More important, I look carefully at longevity, that is, which distros have been around the longest and why, and are they likely to be around 10 years from now?

3fRI wrote:For those who've used Linux for more than 10 years, which distro have you used the longest and why?

Looking at various Linux forums, it seems to me that desktop aesthetics, compatibility with hardware and software, and stability are key to such decisions. Yet desktop environment and aesthetics aren't necessarily deal makers for me. I prefer functionality, speed, stability, and compatibility over glitz. More important, I look carefully at longevity, that is, which distros have been around the longest and why, and are they likely to be around 10 years from now?

Well, if longevity is your main concern try CentOS; it's supported to 2020. Otherwise it depends entirely on what you want. Rolling release and the latest apps? Arch. Stability and free software? Debian. You like KDE? openSUSE or Mageia. Bleeding edge and Gnome shell? Fedora 17. I've used many distributions over the years and am currently using Mint 13 Cinnamon. It's fast, stable, and I can run the latest apps. Otherwise I use Arch with KDE and Xfce 4.10. IOW, it's totally up to you, depending on what you desire. That's the beauty of Linux. But remember, it's all still Linux.